Cleveland woman sentenced for selling stolen U.S. Treasury bonds

According to a press release, Toni Laverne Smith, 71, pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including transporting and selling stolen U.S. Treasury bonds across state lines, forging treasury bonds, and using a false social security number. Court documents reveal that Smith possessed U.S. Treasury bonds believed to have been stolen from an elderly woman in 2011.

The investigation found that from September 2011 to April 2012, Smith and a co-conspirator transported stolen U.S. Treasury bonds across state lines. They used fake identification cards in the victim’s name to negotiate the sale of over 350 forged Series E and EE U.S. Treasury bonds, with a total face value of $268,500. The sale generated approximately $299,364 in proceeds, including interest on mature bonds.

Additionally, Smith and her co-conspirator used the victim’s Social Security number to open bank accounts at various financial institutions, reaching as far as Michigan and Illinois.